Shadowed Sight and Desperate Dreams
by OperationBlueSky
Summary: Tired, Jack and the Doctor relax in a nice warm bath. Later, watching the Doctor sleep, Jack becomes curious as to what he was dreaming about. No PWP, but a nice variation of Twenty Questions. Jack/10 onceshot. I do not own anything.


**Here's another one for you - this time with less sex! ;)  
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**Enjoy!**

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Jack and the Doctor entered the Tardis, both of them completely exhausted. The Doctor rubbed his eyes, yawning. Jack threw his coat onto a nearby railing, kicking his boots off. Together they stumbled over to the captain's chair, the springs creaking as they collapsed onto it. Jack gave a little sigh, rolling his head back onto the support behind him. Now he was finally still, his body burned with a pulsing heat; they had finally made it. Almost an entire week of constant travelling had totally worn him out. Still shaking a little with dragged-out adrenaline, he lifted his heavy arms and undid his satin waistcoat, dropping it to the floor. At the same time, the Doctor was slowly removing his jacket; his skin desperate to feel the cool air of the Tardis. Jack undid a few top buttons, then lay back as far as the slim chair would allow. They slouched in silence for almost five minutes, revelling in the ability to relax.

They'd been trapped for a war zone for the last two days, and somehow, Jack had been promoted from accidental tourist to leader of an entire platoon. All of them in a walking convoy, The Doctor had managed to sneak in a helpful instruction to Jack every so often, undercover as an armourer. With his help, they'd managed to declare the entire war a misunderstanding, and save six different species from total annihilation. They were pretty pleased with themselves. They'd had to escape the cheering crowds by the only way their tired minds could think of – running very fast.

A little rested now, Jack stood up, meaning to go and search for food… or a bath… or a bed.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack replied, turning to look at the Doctor, who stood up too.

The Doctor chuckled to himself, tugging nervously at his ear. "Um… this may seem like a really weird thing to ask right now, but…" he laughed quietly, "…can I… listen to your heartbeat?" He looked hopefully at Jack, who raised his eyebrows and grinned. "…Please," the Doctor added, swallowing.

"Uh – yeah, sure," Jack said, undoing a few more shirt buttons and stepping towards the Doctor. The Doctor pulled his stethoscope from the jacket on the chair, the thing seeming much too big to fit in such a small pocket. "But… why?" Jack asked, his head cocked to the side, a cheeky smile playing on his face.

The Doctor grinned, a little sheepishly. "Just… a single heartbeat. It's… reassuring, in a way… Do you mind?"

Jack shook his head, smiling, and he allowed the Doctor to place the stethoscope on his chest. The Doctor immediately seemed calmer, his lips twisting into a smile. His hand slid to Jack's shoulder, steadying himself. It seemed to Jack that they were a bit closer to each other than two people would normally be when listening to a heartbeat through a stethoscope. The Doctor's eyes were cast downwards, towards Jack's chest. Jack admired the Doctor's fine features, breathing in his delicious scent. He was desperately hoping that the Doctor wouldn't notice that his heart was beating faster. Every second that the Doctor stood there, so close, Jack's heart did a backflip.

The Doctor had noticed. His eyes flickered, and he looked up, straight at Jack. As their eyes met, Jack's heart skipped a beat. Literally. The Doctor smiled, hearing the momentary stillness. He bit down on his lip, not entirely sure what to say now. Rather awkwardly, he lifted the stethoscope from Jack's racing heart, and gave him a brief hug in thanks. In silence, the Doctor slunk away, heading for the nearest bathtub.

* * *

The Doctor lay in a hot bath, a large vintage claw-footed thing, right in the middle of a huge concrete room. The whole room was empty, save for the tub – and a small metal towel rack, right next to it. Bubbles covered the Doctor, right up to his shoulders. He sighed, sliding a hand down his body. Hearing a heartbeat just wasn't enough. He needed someone to touch him, to feel him, to stroke him – like he was doing himself now. All he could do was imagine it was someone else. He exhaled, pressing himself into his hand. He let his head roll back against the warm porcelain, letting out a small moan. A few quiet gasps followed this, the hot water and bubbles sloshing around his shoulders. His toes curled, sliding against the walls of the bath. He thrust his hand again, his lips parting to let out a deep moan that echoed around the concrete room. His hand thrusted once more, and –

"Can I join you?"

The Doctor gasped loudly, pulling all the bubbles in the immediate vicinity closer to his body, trying his best to cover himself. His face flushed, he nodded to Jack, a little unnerved. He tried not to look at Jack as he removed his shirt, then unbuttoning his trousers so slowly – almost teasingly, the Doctor thought. The Doctor watched out of the corner of his eye as Jack's underwear slid off his hips and to the floor. Jack stepped into the bath, managing to remain graceful as he slipped beneath the water. He lay down, opposite the Doctor, smiling as he ladled water over his head with cupped hands. The Doctor crossed his legs, shielding his naked body from Jack's view. "Sorry," Jack said, relaxing against the bath. "I couldn't find any other baths. Or showers…"

"That's the Tardis for you. Infinitely big, but never a bathroom when you need it." They grinned at each other, the Doctor trying to ignore the fact that Jack's eyes were roaming. And they weren't going much further than the Doctor's bare flesh. His skin seemed to be burning under Jack's gaze, the heat rushing to his already engorged member. His lips parted in an attempt to control himself – it was getting more and more difficult, with the thoughts that were forcing themselves into his mind. But these thoughts… they _were_ quite enjoyable! The Doctor allowed himself a smile, which Jack returned – albeit a much more suggestive one, as if he knew what the Doctor was thinking. A shadow seemed to fall into Jack's eyes, like an unanswered question. The Doctor seemed to tense up when he saw this – but he tried not to think about it. Staring at Jack when both of them were naked (and in such close proximity) was not helping matters.

It took a while, but slowly, as the Doctor relaxed, he uncrossed his legs from in front of him, and they slid to the sides of the bath. He was pretty confident that the bubbles would hide his erection from Jack's line of sight. He bit down on his lip as he felt Jack's feet nudging his own, rubbing the tops of them with his toes. Jack's left foot slid itself up the Doctor's ankle, his calf, over his knee. The Doctor wasn't sure whether it was because he was too tired, or because he was actually enjoying it, but he made no move to stop him. He felt Jack's toes rub at his thigh – it occurred to him that it was inevitable where he would go next, but he still yelped, startled, when Jack touched his throbbing penis with the ball of his foot. Suddenly tense, the Doctor sat up in the bathtub, his breathing elevated. Jack withdrew his foot immediately, shuffling his legs back to his side of the bath.

Jack looked a little awkward, but he kept eye contact with the Doctor, who just looked embarrassed, but not altogether uncomfortable. He watched as the Doctor grinned guiltily at him, still breathing heavily. His lips were parted, his eyes seeming to stare right into Jack's head. Jack could hardly wait much longer. Even the Tardis seemed to have arranged the bathrooms so the circumstances could be right. And if now wasn't the right time, when was? He wanted this – now.

He leaned over towards the Doctor, water sloshing out of the tub as he brought his lips crashing down onto the Doctor's, reaching a hand behind him to support his head. Jack opened and closed his mouth over the Doctor's; forcing his lips open as Jack moaned into his mouth, his tongue probing. He kissed frantically, one side and then the other, small moans escaping every time their lips parted a fraction. Jack pulled away for air, not moving further than a few centimetres, and not for longer than a second. And he was back on top of the Doctor, their lips locking once again. Jack was kissing with so much force and desperation that he couldn't even tell if the Doctor was kissing back. Their bodies were not yet in contact, but Jack's body yearned for the touch, to feel the Doctor's flesh against his own. As he broke away for just a second, to pull himself closer, and to moan loudly while doing so, the Doctor pushed his shoulder. "No, Jack," he whispered, breathlessly.

His eyes closed as he felt Jack pause, before slipping his hand from the back of the Doctor's head. Even with his eyes shut, he could see Jack's bitter disappointment, embarrassment, lust, his desperation. And he couldn't truthfully say he didn't want that, too. Because he did. But right now, Jack was just too desperate, too driven by his blind desire. He knew that Jack wasn't aware of how passionately the Doctor had kissed back, how much he wanted him, too. Right now, Jack just wanted sex. Nothing more. The Doctor knew it was deeper than that, he knew what he really wanted – but a bathtub in a huge concrete warehouse was not the place for these antics. And now was not the time.

The Doctor stepped out of the bathtub, water spraying from his limbs as he grabbed a towel from the rack, tying it around his middle. It hardly hid his erection, but he knew Jack wasn't looking. The Doctor walked straight towards the door, pushing wet hair out of his face. Halfway, he paused, feeling eyes on his back. He turned back to see Jack staring – from so far away he couldn't see what emotions lay behind those beautiful, shadowed blue eyes, but he knew the smile he gave was real. The Doctor returned it, his whole face lifting, showing the utter delight that had just filled his heart – it was as if all of the bubbles in the bath had just taken residence inside his chest. The smile never left him, all the way back to the console room.

* * *

Jack entered the console room, fully dressed; just buttoning up the last on his waistcoat. He looked around for the Doctor, who he hadn't seen since he left the bathroom. This would be the most obvious place he would be. He didn't see him immediately, his eyes more captivated by the flashing octagonal lights that flickered on the computer screen. Jack had no idea what they meant – Gallifreyan was the only language that the Tardis refused to translate. As he turned away, he spotted him – lying across the captain's chair, towel around his waist, fast asleep. Jack had never seen the Doctor asleep before – he was pretty sure he never needed to sleep. Only to rest, occasionally. Was he really asleep then? He wandered over, passing a hand back and forth in front of the Doctor's face. The Doctor breathed in his scent, smiling. His legs parted a little, his head rolled onto its side, lips opening in a quiet groan. His hands drifted up his body to rest on his chest, and then one slid down his body to stroke his groin. He was definitely asleep, Jack concluded. He wouldn't do this if he knew Jack was watching – he'd learnt that from walking in on him in the bath.

Jack watched, crouching, as the Doctor fiddled with the towel. He was evidently getting frustrated with it, unable to undo the knot in his sleep. With a quick glance at the Doctor's face, he undid it for him. The Doctor's face flooded with relief as he touched himself, exhaling with a moan. Jack felt this scene probably wasn't one he should be intruding on, so with reluctance, he stood and turned away. He had only gone about two steps when he heard the Doctor whisper, "Jack…"

He turned back, wondering if the Doctor had woken. But no, he was still asleep, his back arching, toes curling. He was sure he'd said his name… no, he must have been mistaken. He was as tired as the Doctor was. A hallucination every now and then probably wasn't all that surprising. He was about to turn away again, this time with even more reluctance – but then he heard it again, his name, straight from the Doctor's lips. "Jack…"

Jack swallowed, watching the Doctor's naked body writhe on the seat, arousal throbbing between his legs. "Ohh, Jack," the Doctor murmured, his mouth opening in what could be a silent scream of pleasure. He gave a few moaning gasps, his head flopping away from Jack, hips bucking. His calves slowly slid off the end of the seat, so he was laying flat, legs dangling. In a sudden convulsion, they jumped back up, the Doctor moaning loudly as his head tipped back off the other end. "Jack!" the Doctor suddenly cried out, the hand on his chest collapsing into a spasm, hips bucking wildly into the air, knees forced apart by some invisible force. One leg fell off the seat, exposing the Doctor's naked body fully. Jack could feel his blood beginning to pulse in time to the Doctor's unconscious thrusts, hushed groans whispering from his wet lips. He couldn't move – he seemed to be rooted to the spot, as if his feet wanted him to watch. He knew he shouldn't be here. But the use of his name seemed to draw him in, making him a part of it. The Doctor was calling out Jack's name in total ecstasy, his whole body squirming with intense pleasure. He was going to come, any second now. Without consulting his brain, Jack's feet and arms moved of their own accord, grabbing the Doctor's towel and catching the Doctor's hot come as it spilled out of him, along with a scream of "OH! JACK!" that seemed to rip into Jack's heart and tie a thousand balloons to it. Then he wrapped the towel back around the Doctor's hips, sure he was going to wake up pretty soon. He tapped the Doctor on the shoulder, trying to wake him prematurely, to give the impression he had no knowledge of what just happened. Well, that was the impression he hoped that would give.

The Doctor groaned, opening his eyes to the bright lights of the Tardis ceiling. Blinking, he smiled at Jack, then seemed to realise something, pausing, with a look in his eyes not unlike a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car. Then he seemed to shrug this thought off, as Jack grinned at him, whispering, "You fell asleep."

"Mm," the Doctor said, sitting up, rubbing his eyes. He stood, tying his towel tighter around his middle. It seemed rather loose, as if it had been undone. No, he would have remembered that. And Jack would have noticed. He was right _here_, after all. He would have seen the whole thing. The Doctor smiled to himself, replaying parts of his dream in his mind. God, that was the best dream he'd had in a _long_ while…

"What are _you_ smiling at?" Jack asked, seeing the smirk that had flickered over the Doctor's face.

"Oh – n-nothing. Just… good dream," he said, not making eye contact. Jack agreed with him in his head – that must have been a _damn_ good dream.

"What was it about?" Jack enquired, as innocent as he could manage, curious as to whether the Doctor would actually tell him.

The Doctor cleared his throat, fiddling with a switch on the console. "I – um… nothing. Just… nothing."

Jack, a little disappointed, tried again – "Who was in it?"

The Doctor looked up, smiling. "You were. And… and… me." He cleared his throat.

"What were we doing?" The Doctor just shook his head, grinning to himself. In an attempt to get something – _anything_ – out of him, Jack suggested the first thing that popped into his head. "Twenty questions?"

"Jack!" the Doctor cried, feigning disapproval. Such a childish game! But then, what was the point of being grown up if you couldn't be childish sometimes?

"What?" Jack grinned, "It was worth a try!" God, he _really_ wanted to know now. He wanted _details_. What had he been doing in the dream to make the Doctor scream like that?

"Well – all right then… if it means so much to you!" the Doctor said, not really following the conversation, but just hoping he'd at least sounded like he hadn't want to say in the first place.

Jack just grinned, knowing the Doctor would have caved in at some point. There was no denying that the Doctor _did_ want him to know. He just wouldn't tell him outright. It _was_ a rather… _private_… sentiment. Or it should have been, anyway.

"Just… let me get dressed first?" the Doctor said, finally looking at Jack. He saw something in Jack's eyes, and a part of his dream suddenly came flooding back to him – he couldn't remember what he'd seen, but he could smell Jack, feel his naked flesh against his; he could feel the pleasure surging through him, Jack groaning, breathing hard against his neck – …the Doctor smiled, biting his lip and dropping his gaze.

Jack just stood there as the Doctor walked away, a quiet smirk on his lips. Curiosity burned through him, and he almost felt that the expectancy was melting the balloons that had so painstakingly held up his heart. How did the Doctor feel about him? Honestly, he couldn't tell. _God_, he wanted to know. The Time Lord's feelings were probably the best-kept secret in the iYerington region! And they won _awards_ for that! And, it seemed, only a game of Twenty Questions, of all things, would weed the answer out of him. Ah, well. Even 900-and-something-year-old Time Lords had to be the child they knew they were, at some point.

* * *

The Doctor got back to the console room, his thin body clad in a clean brown suit. He smiled at Jack, his mind still lingering on that… frankly, _fantastic_ dream. Jack stood, sauntering over to the Doctor, ready to play. He opened his mouth to ask his first question, but the Doctor held up his hand.

"Wait," he said, dropping his hand, tongue running over his lips. "Rather than Twenty Questions, you ask me a question, and then I get to ask you one. Unlimited questions, but you can't ask about…" he drifted off, and then seemed to bounce back, finishing the sentence, "…directly." He swallowed, stuffing his hands into his pockets, then thinking better of it, removing them and placing them on the console panel behind him, leaning back.

"Okay," Jack said, smiling as he nodded. He rubbed his cheek with his hand, thinking. "What… What did you dream about?"

"I said – no direct questions," the Doctor said, grinning at Jack's belt buckle. He licked his lips again, slightly nervous.

Jack sighed, crossing his arms, then uncrossing them, dropping them to his side, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Um…" His mouth formed the start of many words, but no proper sound came out of his mouth.

God, this was making him nervous. It was all he could do not to just reach over and kiss the Doctor – _ever_ so gently… at first, that is. The kiss would deepen, hands roaming, tongues exploring. A small moan, a teasing bite on the lip…

Biting his own lip, and swallowing, lost in his fantasy, he eventually thought of something – he doubted it would actually be classified as a permitted question, but still – he didn't think there was anything he wouldn't try, right now.

He leaned into the Doctor's body, clutching the Doctor's shoulder firmly in his hand, reaching forward, brushing his fingertips steadily along the Doctor's crotch.

Exhaling slowly, Jack whispered, "Do you like it when I do that?" close enough to be whispering into the Doctor's open lips. The Doctor grasped Jack's upper arm in his own, his other hand on his hip, eyes half open.

"Yes," he whispered back, but pushed Jack away gently, his eyes lingering on Jack's lips, before falling to the floor.

"Why d'you push me away then?" Jack asked, still quiet, smiling.

"One question at a time, Jack!" the Doctor said, looking up and grinning at him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he said, "My turn now…" He took a deep breath, and then asked, "Why… why did you do… _that_?"

Jack smiled, looking at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck again. "I wanted to see… how far you would go. Why did you pull away?"

The Doctor ducked his head, chewing his lip. "Can I come back to that one? I just… can't answer it… _now_."

"Sure…" Jack said, slightly bemused.

"And – um… how many…" The Doctor broke off to swallow, his eyes darting away from Jack for a second, and then returning to stare straight into him – Jack felt like his gaze cocooned him in a warm, sweet embrace that reached down to his very soul. He smiled as the Doctor spoke. "How many people have you slept with?"

Rather surprised by this question, he cocked his head on the side. Was this what the Doctor's worries were? He knew there was no way the Doctor would come anywhere close to meeting Jack's past record. Maybe he felt a bit… intimidated. He smiled, and gave a vague answer – perhaps an exact answer wasn't quite what the Doctor wanted right now. "Oh – somewhere up in the thousands," he said, grinning. The Doctor did look rather daunted by this fact, but said nothing. He nodded, still looking straight at Jack's sparking eyes, loving the way they caught the light.

"Have you ever slept with a man?" Jack asked, the questions rising easily now. He knew what to ask.

"No, never," the Doctor said, half-smiling.

"Do you want to?" Jack asked, knowing full well that a second question wouldn't be allowed. The Doctor ignored the question completely, but the answer flashed in front of his eyes – Jack couldn't tell what it was he'd thought, but he was desperate to find out.

The Doctor went straight on to ask his own question – "Jack…"

"Yeah?" he replied, sensing this would be a question on a rather more personal note.

"Do you want to… h-have sex with me?" the Doctor asked, eyes clamped shut, as if blocking out the fact that he really _had_ just asked that question.

Jack didn't know how to answer. He did want that, he _knew_ he did – and he was pretty sure the Doctor knew it too. But he couldn't just say that. It wasn't the entire truth. But he wasn't sure if the Doctor would be able to accept the whole truth. Ah, well. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Here it comes. Jack opened his mouth and spoke.

"Yes." The Doctor did nothing, eyes still closed, but relaxed now. He smiled. "But – but Doctor, I want more than that!" Jack said, in a rush. "I want much, much more! I…" – he stopped himself before he went too far. He took a few second to collect himself, before asking his own question. "…Do you want _me_?"

Silence echoed around the Tardis. The Doctor shook his head, folding his arms across his middle. Was that a _no_? He didn't want him. Oh god.

"I – I can't answer that yet. – I will, Jack, I will," he said, seeing the expression on Jack's face, knowing he was dying to know the answer. "And… Jack," he said, breathing slowly, "Do you… love me?"

"Yes." There was no other answer he could have given. Before the Doctor could speak, however, Jack asked his own question; "Do you love _me_?"

The Doctor exhaled a lot of air all at once, giving a little choking cough. He swallowed, looking into Jack's eyes. "Yes. But –"

"Are you _in_ love with me?"

The Doctor had been about to say no, it was just a friendship. He didn't love him like _that_. But he thought better of it. Not only would that crush Jack completely – it wasn't the truth. He swallowed, looking down. What should he say?

"I… can't… answer that, Jack."

Jack shook his head in disappointment, in disbelief. Could you cheat at Twenty Questions? Because that was what the Doctor was doing. He was breaking the rules of his own variation, and Jack was letting him. He had to say something, but –

"Have you ever been in love with anyone before, Jack?"

There was more curiosity in this question, less hesitation. But Jack, rather than flying into the heated rant that he'd been planning in his head, he answered the question, the dream forgotten now. It didn't matter any more.

"I'm in love with everyone I'm with, Doctor. I love everyone differently, but I do love them. But… no, I was never _in _love. U-until…" he stopped, swallowing. He shook his head at the Doctor, telling him he wasn't going to say any more on that subject. Jack had a question he now wanted to ask. The basis of this question had only come to light while they had been talking, standing here, and discussing their most intimate secrets.

"Doctor…" The Doctor looked up at him, willing him to go on. There was such a shadow in Jack's eyes – the Doctor knew the answer to the next question would free it, forever. He waited for Jack to continue. It took a while, Jack being as nervous as he was. The Doctor was nervous too, now he came to think about it. He had no idea what Jack was about to ask, but he knew the answer would tell all. All his private secrets, how he felt about Jack, why he was dodging those earlier questions. Jack smiled before he asked. It reassured the Doctor. He felt calm again, but the fear couldn't leave… not just yet.

"Why are you afraid?"

A perfectly formed question. With the answer being roughly sketched in his mind, the Doctor smiled at Jack, who smiled back, just because it meant so much. Jack didn't know why the Doctor was smiling, but he liked it. The Doctor was smiling from his eyes. Not from his mouth. His lips were parted, wet. So utterly kissable. And quite distracting.

"Jack… T-the reason I pulled away, if-if I want you, if I… love you – what I'm afraid of – you're right, Jack, I'm afraid. I'm… so very, very afraid." He paused, looking Jack in the eye. The shadow was darker, desperate to leave. He needed his answer – now.

"Jack, I'm afraid of… losing you. I've lost everyone. They grow old, they get bored, they find somewhere else they'd rather be – I lose them all, in the end. I don't want to lose you, Jack. I… I…"

He couldn't say it, couldn't finish the sentence.

Jack cupped the Doctor's face in his hands, placing a tender kiss on his lips. The Doctor blinked as Jack pulled away, their hands entwined. That was all the courage the Doctor needed. He could say it now.

"I love you, Jack."

He reached up and grabbed Jack by the back of his head, yanking his lips down onto his. Mouths open, hands on each other's hips, shoulders, Jack's hand at the small of the Doctor's back. They kissed feverishly, passionately. A contented sigh escaped Jack as he pulled out for breath – and the Doctor knew his shadow-demon was gone, his questions were answered.

Breathing heavily, his words punctuated by eager kisses, Jack spoke – "I'll never leave you, Doctor. I'm the only one who can stay with you forever. Literally – you know that I'm immortal. I'll always be here, Doctor. Always. I love you too."

The Doctor smiled into his kiss – and Jack was sure, that if he opened his eyes, his eyes would be smiling too.

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**Whaddya think?**

**Please R&R! Thanks! ^^  
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